Five Things

{Los Zancudos (the stilt dancers) of Zaachila, hanging out in front of Santo Domingo during the parade to celebrate the markets as part of the Guelaguetza celebrations.}

We’ve been back home in Oaxaca for about ten days now, and we’ve been getting back into a slower routine, and going out and experiencing many of the things we love about this town, from food to culture.

July is the month of Guelaguetza, the statewide celebration of Oaxaca, her people, the 8 regions, and their dances, food, and culture. Guelaguetza is based on the idea that we are stronger as a people if we share our cultures and our history with each other. So Guelaguetza brings people from every part of the state, who come to Oaxaca city to celebrate. It’s one of the most special times to be here, and we’re glad we made it home just in time for the big fiesta.

Here are a few fave moments from the past week.

{It’s the month of Guelaguetza, which means daily parades and dancing in the streets.}

{Pretty Frangipani blossom}

{Shakshuka from Boulenc for brunch.}

{Hanging out at our local botanical garden. Everyone always takes a photo here in front of the organ pipe cactus.}

And a bonus pic.

{Oaxaca is having problems with garbage. This was the view last week outside the mercado closest to our house.}

We came back to a city full of garbage, as there is a dispute going on over who controls a certain town out in the valley, along with access to the city dump that is there. You can get a basic overview of what is going on in this article. We usually have trash pickup every night on our street, but this past two weeks it’s been more like every couple of days – and then they’re taking our trash to a temporary (hopefully) dump next to the river (Yikes!). A good reminder that even though Oaxaca is a beautiful place, it is also still a developing one, with poor infrastructure and corruption. Hoping this will be resolved soon.

Recent Adventures

Where we just were

Alexandria, Virginia

Where we are today

Oaxaca de Juarez

Where we're headed next

Mexico City

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Find life experiences and swallow them whole. Travel. Meet many people. Go down some dead ends and explore dark alleys. Try everything. Exhaust yourself in the glorious pursuit of life. –Lawrence K. Fish